Arianespace
In 2008 a Russian Soyuz rocket will lift off for the first time from the European space port of Kourou, in Guiana. The Soyuz project is strategically important to France and Europe and is expected to ensure access to space by completing the line of Ariane launchers as global competition mounts. The 2004 agreement calls for constructing a new launch pad at the Guiana site, with equipment and systems made in Russia.
The European Space Agency (ESA) chose Apave to help Russian manufacturers complete their risk analysis and comply with European regulations (EC marking), on all equipment. After Apave completed this technical assistance project, the French national space agency, CNES, chose it to conduct an on-site regulatory audit in Kourou for the structure’s initial components, starting in June 2006.